


Home Of The Boys, Land Of The Free

by Basileus_Monomakhos



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Bad Alpha Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Banshee Lydia Martin, Bohemia, Brief Theo Raeken/Jackson Whittemore, Character Death, Dark Alan Deaton, Deutsch | German, Dubious Morality, Evil Gerard Argent, Good Theo Raeken, Historical Figures, Historical References, Hussite Wars, Kanima Jackson Whittemore, Kingdom Come: Deliverance References, M/M, Medieval Naming Conventions, Morally Ambiguous Character, Period Typical Attitudes, Religious Conflict, Česky | Czech
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:00:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29196474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Basileus_Monomakhos/pseuds/Basileus_Monomakhos
Summary: The year was Anno Domini 1425, Bohemia, the heart of the Holy Roman Empire was in chaos.But one foreign mercenary would intervene. Could he retain his hope and stand his ground, fulfill his destiny and most importantly, find his love?
Relationships: Aiden & Ethan (Teen Wolf), Derek Hale & Theo Raeken, Ethan & Danny Mahealani, Ethan/Jackson Whittemore, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Tracy Stewart & Jackson Whittemore





	Home Of The Boys, Land Of The Free

**Author's Note:**

> Title is a parody of the famous line in the USA national anthem, while home of the boys refers to Bohemia, which is from medieval Latin "Boiohaemum", which in turn is a compound of Latin "Boii", homonym of English "boy", and Old High German "heim", itself a cognate of the English word "home".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wolfgang means "the path of the wolf" or "the journey of the wolf" in Old High German.
> 
> The tavern song is Poverty And Famine from Kingdom Come: Deliverance OST.

**_February 1425, Hory Kutné,_** **_Kingdom of Bohemia, Holy Roman Empire._ **

Kuttenberg seemed to be flourishing. The entire city was humming with activity as traders from far and wide came here for the business opportunities, while some stayed to seek their luck. All in the name of silver.

It's quite remarkable, considering merely three years ago the city was almost razed to the ground by Sigismund of Luxemburg.

Jackson growled at the thought of that tyrant. No one is above the sacred grammar of lingua Latina!

But as if he would oppose the emperor because of his laughable Latin skills. No, it's because Jackson had no choice but to fight for the Hussites.

Ten years ago, he was fighting the French on the field of Agincourt as a proud longbowman. When they won a glorious victory, he felt like the whole world was under his grasp.

And then everything turned to hell. He was bitten by a werewolf, turned into a weird hybrid between a werewolf and some sort of poisonous lizard, and killed someone on his first full moon. He totally freaked out when the mutilated body of Greenberg appeared on his roof, and there's blood on his claws.

Claws! He had claws! And a tail!

He escaped his hometown that night with his sister, leaving his old life behind forever.

Tracy, his innocent sister. She didn't deserve it, wandering across the continent with him. So they settled in Valencia, Aragon, where she met and fell in love with Josh Díaz, a Catalan merchant.

Who's also a werefox or something similar that could shoot lighting bolts from his hand, much to Jackson's dismay.

But a Zeus reincarnate was the least of his worries. Apparently he was in bigger troubles than he ever imagined: The king of England declared him an outlaw, the church excommunicated him, there's a bounty on his head...

So he escaped again. This time he left Tracy behind, knowing how much she loved the Catalan, and how much he cared about her. This life on the run was not a life she deserved.

He followed a mercenary band to a place where the church had no authority. First it was Turkey, and then Hussite Bohemia. From time to time, he would think of the fertile farmlands back in Whitchurch, or the bustling port of Valencia. But those were not his home anymore. He made his home wherever he stayed, belonging to nowhere but also everywhere.

Now, he's in Hory Kutné, the former royal residence of the late king of Bohemia Wenceslaus IV, hired by the Hussites.

Surrounding him was a band of bastards. Well, not literally, but metaphorically they were all shunned by the mainstream society one way or another. For instance, Erica was a Lithuanian pagan warrior, Vernon's father was a Turcopole but his mother was an Ethiopian, and Liam couldn't control his anger.

"Jackson, we're going to the _hospoda_ tonight, are you coming with us?" The leader of the band, an Gaelic named Scott MacCathail, asked him.

Oh, did he mention that Scott's a werewolf? An Alpha.

He had no intentions of obeying the Alpha, but it's not like he had anything else to do, "Sure, why not?"

The _hospoda_ itself was already filled with men as the sun sunk below the horizon, leaving the sky a beautiful hue of orange and olive.

The rest of the band was dispersed as soon as they entered the alehouse, while Jackson chose a seat in the corner, ordered some wine and listened to the tavern goers' singing.

_Přišla bída, mor a hlad_  
_To neustojí žádnej chlap_  
_Na kraj padnul děsnej smutek_  
_Kdo měl nohy, dávno utek_  
_Děti řvou, ženský maj strach_  
_Kdo včera žil, dneska je prach_  
_Už se i bojí svatí muži_  
_Nechtěl bych bejt v jejich kůži_

There's a shuffling noise beside him as the song continued, and Jackson turned his head at the source of the noise, only to find a stranger sat down across of him.

"Bad day?"

Jackson didn't answer, instead raised a questioning eyebrow.

"You are glaring at your wine as if it's the brew of Hell, and I personally know it's one of the best wine I've ever had." That man pointed out.

"More like bad life." Jackson admitted.

"You and I both, mate." The stranger chuckled.

Jackson said nothing more, instead let the song filtered into his brain once again.

_Nám je to jedno_  
_A tak si dáme jedno_  
_A vožerem si huby jako v poslední den_  
_Budem se bavit_  
_A do rána slavit_  
_A tak vyval sudy a posaď se mi sem_

"So," The stranger started, "What brings you here?"

"Wine."

"Of course. I saw you around the town for a few times, actually, you're with that mercenary band, right?"

Jackson nodded.

"Indeed I am. An itinerant warrior."

"Then why chose to figh for the Hussites? I'm sure that bastard Sigismund plays more than Prokop.

"Excommunicated." Jackson said simply, not wanting to tell a stranger any more than necessary.

"Damn. But what can I say, that's what those papists do."

"Down with the papists!" He hollered out loud, and the tavern roared with agreement.

"Death to the enemies of Bohemia!" The stranger said enthusiastically at the same time, "Here's a toast to freedom!"

"To freedom!" Jackson answered, draining the contents of his cup.

The night went on between tacky songs and tasty wines, until the bailiff decided to put a stop to the scene.

Jackson and his new companion walked out into the darkness, the man's arm slung over Jackson's shoulders.

"You know, we should talk more. We could become good friends out of this. Are you coming here tomorrow?"

"I think so. Will I found you here tomorrow though?" Jackson nodded

"Of course, _Had_." The man grinned.

Jackson froze. _Had_ , Czech for snake.

" _Kurva!_ " The man cursed under his breath, realising his mistake as well.

"Only my enemies call me that." Jackson replied slowly, his claws began to extend and venom started to drip down.

In response, the stranger stepped away from him warily, his eyes flashing the unmistakable blood red.

Great. Another Alpha.

The alpha swept his claws at Jackson, but Jackson anticipated that move, and stepped sideways in time, his eyes flashing reptilian yellow.

He had to end this quickly. Jackson decided. The temperature was too cold for his liking, his opponent was stronger that him, and innocent townspeople could stumble across them anytime.

So he jumped high, using the wall of a nearby house as a springboard and landed behind the werewolf. Using his tail to keep his balance, he twisted his body around while standing on one foot, and before the alpha could react, he slashed his claws across the back of the alpha's thigh, pumping his venom into the alpha's body, swiftly paralyzing him. The alpha hit the ground with a dull thud, while Jackson wrapped his tail around the assassin's neck, ready to choke the assassin if necessary.

"Who send you?" Jackson hissed, "Who are you?"

The stranger laughed in response.

"Me? I'm no one but a loose thread. Just so you know, I represent a danger to the interests of your leader. But no more! I'll not shy away from my fate. So don't be a coward, Jackson, dare you not kill me, like the murderer you are?"

Jackson snarled, his vision clouded with red.

When his vision cleared again, the stranger lay dead at his feet, his claws embedded in the man's chest.

Great, he just killed a man.

"Jackson? What happened? I heard noises..."

Scott's voice died down at the sight he saw.

" _Baszás!_ " Jackson cursed in Hungarian, "I killed a man."

"You killed a man." Scott repeated, "Why?"

"He wanted to kill me first, mind you. He called me Snake, and we both know what that means."

"That's not..." The leader stopped as he saw the face of the corpse, "What have you done?"

Scott's heart skipped a beat. Weird.

"You know that man?"

Scott didn't answer, however, as he removed the golden spur from the body.

"Take that spur and leave for Tábor immediately." He commanded instead, his eyes flashing red.

"And why would I do so?" Jackson sneered, flashing his own, newly acquired red eyes.

Scott seemed to be taken aback for a moment, then his face hardened again.

"You just killed a man, someone of noble origin, in one of the most important city in Bohemia, what do you think will happen now?" he started, "You are in major trouble if they found out it's you who did this. And forgive me if I don't want you swinging on a gallow the next day, because my band will also be blamed and shunned by this city by then, for a crime they never commited."

Swinging on a gallow. _Kurva._

"Fine!" Jackson growled, made sure he showed every fraction of his displeasure, "I'll leave, and you'll make sure my name is clear."

"Deal, if you're willing to run a few errands for me while in Tábor." Scott smirked.

"And what exactly are those errands?" Jackson narrowed his eyes.

"There's a doctor named Alan of Deaton, working in the only hospital in the city, and you must go to him without any delay, and tell him you're there for my business."

"And he'll tell me what to do? No thanks, I'll pass."

"You speak as if you have a choice, Jackson." Scott grinned wickedly, "They will find the body by tomorrow, and I could think of a great way of improving my band's reputation, by catching the murderer."

It's a thinly veiled threat, also a very plausible one. He could only choose one option.

"I'll see what I can do." He growled out. Scott smirked in response and handed him the golden spur.

He left Kuttenberg in the dead of night, disguised as a pilgrim, his shortsword hidden beneath his cloak, his bow strapped to the saddle of his horse. He fled the city like a criminal.

But he was a criminal.

Jackson gritted his teeth, brought his horse into another gallop, and secretly wished Scott was actually trustworthy.

It was the afternoon of the next day when the great city of Jan Žižka emerged into his sight. He let his horse slow down into a trot, silently admiring the view of the city.

So is this where my lonely road would end, or is it the end of a new beginning? Jackson thought, as his mind once again drifted away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Historical Background:
> 
> The year 1425 marked a period of relative peace during the Hussites wars. Even with the death of the great general Jan Žižka the year before, the position of the Hussites was more secure than ever.  
> Hory Kutné, that is the medieval Czech name for Kutná Hora, Czechia. In German it's known as Kuttenberg. The town began as one of the most important silver mining center in Bohemia, in Europe even, and by 1419 it's one of the largest cities in Bohemia, second only to Prague, having become the favourite residence of several Bohemian kings, especially king Wenceslaus IV. With the support of the king, the abbots of the local monastery and German miners, industry in the area was prospering.  
> In middle ages, the modern concept of surnames rarely exist, most European people living outside Byzantium were known by their given names only, while differentiate themselves from others using patronyms, toponyms, nicknames or occupations. But by 1400, most people in England, Ireland, France and the Italian states had surnames inherited from their fathers, while others like Scots, Scandinavians, Iberians and Slavs stick to their old systems. So here in this work, set in Bohemia, most people would not have fixed surnames as we know today, and those who have would have different forms. For the names appearing in this particular chapter, Josh Díaz means Josh, son of Diego; Scott MacCathail means Scott, descendent of Cathal; Liam's full name would be Uilliam of Dunbar.  
> Sigismund of Luxembourg, nicknamed liška ryšavá(ginger fox) in Bohemia, king of Hungary and Holy Roman Emperor (Although technically he's not the emperor yet in 1425, as he was only crowned in Rome in 1433, after the end of the Hussite Wars.), had a long yet unsuccessful reign. He is one of the most important figures in early 1400s Europe. From the Crusade of Nicopolis to the Hussite Wars, from the Council of Constance to Reformatio Sigismundi, he participated one way or another in almost every important political events of his days, even in the famous Battle of Grunwald.


End file.
